Publications
Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.
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Status of scientific knowledge, recovery progress, and future research directions for the Gulf Sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Vladykov, 1955 Status of scientific knowledge, recovery progress, and future research directions for the Gulf Sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Vladykov, 1955
The Gulf Sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, is an anadromous species of Acipenseridae and native to North America. It currently inhabits and spawns in the upper reaches of seven natal rivers along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico from the Suwannee River, Florida, to the Pearl River, Louisiana, during spring to autumn. Next to the Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula), the...
Authors
Kenneth J. Sulak, F Parauka, W. Todd Slack, T Ruth, Michael T. Randall, K Luke, M. F Mette, M. E Price
Cattle grazing in wetlands Cattle grazing in wetlands
Cattle grazing drives successional change in wetland vegetation by removing tall grasses and other vegetation. As a disturbance, cattle grazing in some ways resembles natural disturbances such as native mammal grazing and lightning-strike fire, which can support higher biodiversity in wetlands. To encourage rare and Red-Listed species, natural land managers sometimes incorporate a...
Authors
Beth A. Middleton
Dispersal and spatial heterogeneity: Single species Dispersal and spatial heterogeneity: Single species
A recent result for a reaction-diffusion equation is that a population diffusing at any rate in an environment in which resources vary spatially will reach a higher total equilibrium biomass than the population in an environment in which the same total resources are distributed homogeneously. This has so far been proven by Lou for the case in which the reaction term has only one...
Authors
Donald L. DeAngelis, Wei-Ming Ni, Bo Zhang
A pilot study testing a natural and a synthetic Molluscicide for controlling invasive apple snails (Pomacea maculata) A pilot study testing a natural and a synthetic Molluscicide for controlling invasive apple snails (Pomacea maculata)
Pomacea maculata (formerly P. insularum), an apple snail native to South America, was discovered in Louisiana in 2008. These snails strip vegetation, reproduce at tremendous rates, and have reduced rice production and caused ecosystem changes in Asia. In this pilot study snails were exposed to two molluscicides, a tea (Camellia sinensis) seed derivative (TSD) or niclosamide monohydrate...
Authors
Heather M. Olivier, Jill A. Jenkins, Mark Berhow, Jacoby Carter
Use of historic Persian water system data in groundwater models: Examples from Afghanistan and Emirates Use of historic Persian water system data in groundwater models: Examples from Afghanistan and Emirates
Obtaining calibration data for models depicting conditions during pre-development periods can be challenging as such periods are characteristically data poor. This study presents two examples where simulation of historic water conveyance structures were used to help characterize historic, or pre-modern, conditions in calibration of groundwater flow models. Persian water conveyance...
Authors
Thomas J. Mack, Jack R. Eggleston
Water-quality effects on phytoplankton species and density and trophic state indices at Big Base and Little Base Lakes, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, June through August, 2015 Water-quality effects on phytoplankton species and density and trophic state indices at Big Base and Little Base Lakes, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, June through August, 2015
Big Base and Little Base Lakes are located on Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, and their close proximity to a dense residential population and an active military/aircraft installation make the lakes vulnerable to water-quality degradation. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a study from June through August 2015 to investigate the effects of water quality on phytoplankton...
Authors
Lucas Driver, Billy Justus
A laboratory investigation of the suspension, transport, and settling of silver carp eggs using synthetic surrogates A laboratory investigation of the suspension, transport, and settling of silver carp eggs using synthetic surrogates
Asian carp eggs are semi-buoyant and must remain suspended in the water to survive, supported by the turbulence of the flow, until they hatch and develop the ability to swim. Analysis of the transport and dispersal patterns of Asian carp eggs will facilitate the development and implementation of control strategies to target the early life stages. Experimenting with Asian carp eggs is...
Authors
Tatiana Garcia, Carlo Zuniga Zamalloa, P. Ryan Jackson, Elizabeth A. Murphy, Marcelo H. Garcia
Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions? Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions?
Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs), those surrounded by uplands, exchange materials, energy, and organisms with other elements in hydrological and habitat networks, contributing to landscape functions, such as flow generation, nutrient and sediment retention, and biodiversity support. GIWs constitute most of the wetlands in many North American landscapes, provide a...
Authors
Matthew J. Cohen, Irena F. Creed, Laurie C. Alexander, Nandita Basu, Aram J.K. Calhoun, Christopher Craft, Ellen D’Amico, Edward S. DeKeyser, Laurie Fowler, Heather E. Golden, James W. Jawitz, Peter Kalla, L. Katherine Kirkman, Charles R. Lane, Megan Lang, Scott G. Leibowitz, David Bruce Lewis, John Marton, Daniel L. McLaughlin, David M. Mushet, Hadas Raanan-Kiperwas, Mark C. Rains, Lora Smith, Susan C. Walls
Quality of surface water in Missouri, water year 2014 Quality of surface water in Missouri, water year 2014
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, designed and operates a series of monitoring stations on streams and springs throughout Missouri known as the Ambient Water-Quality Monitoring Network. During the 2014 water year (October 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014), data were collected at 74 stations—72 Ambient Water-Quality Monitoring...
Authors
Miya N. Barr
Acute and chronic toxicity of sodium sulfate to four freshwater organisms in water-only exposures Acute and chronic toxicity of sodium sulfate to four freshwater organisms in water-only exposures
The acute and chronic toxicity of sulfate (tested as sodium sulfate) was determined in diluted well water (hardness of 100 mg/L and pH 8.2) with a cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia; 2-d and 7-d exposures), a midge (Chironomus dilutus; 4-d and 41-d exposures), a unionid mussel (pink mucket, Lampsilis abrupta; 4-d and 28-d exposures), and a fish (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas; 4-d and...
Authors
Ning Wang, Rebecca A. Consbrock, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Douglas K. Hardesty, William G. Brumbaugh, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer, David R. Mount
Vectors of invasions in freshwater invertebrates and fishes Vectors of invasions in freshwater invertebrates and fishes
Without human assistance, the terrestrial environment and oceans represent barriers to the dispersal of freshwater aquatic organisms. The ability to overcome such barriers depends on the existence of anthropogenic vectors that can transport live organisms to new areas, and the species’ biology to survive the transportation and transplantation into the new environment (Johnson et al...
Authors
Pamela L. Fuller
What role do hurricanes play in sediment delivery to subsiding river deltas? What role do hurricanes play in sediment delivery to subsiding river deltas?
The Mississippi River Delta (MRD) has undergone tremendous land loss over the past century due to natural and anthropogenic influences, a fate shared by many river deltas globally. A globally unprecedented effort to restore and sustain the remaining subaerial portions of the delta is now underway, an endeavor that is expected to cost $50–100B over the next 50 yr. Success of this effort...
Authors
James E. Smith, Samuel J. Bentley, Gregg Snedden, Crawford White